It's no secret that ghosts live in numerous Polish castles. But there is a special category of ghosts called pannas (ladies) in Poland. These women, as a rule, died a terrible painful death and after that they remained to wander within the walls of their chambers. Ladies are most often white. It is possible that this refers to the tradition of burying women in white clothes. We will tell you about the tragic fate of some of them and together with you we will go on a fascinating journey through the possessions of the White Ladies.
White Lady of Kornitsky Castle
A portrait of a lady in a white dress hangs in the refectory hall of the Kornitsky castle. This is Teofila Dzyalinskaya-Potulitska, the owner of the castle, who died in 1790. According to legend, every night Teofila leaves her portrait and goes to the park to meet with the mysterious horseman. Together they roam the park alleys until dawn and disappear only with the first crowing of roosters.
Portrait of Teofila Dzyalinskaya-Potulitskaya.
Who was Theophila during her lifetime. First of all, she was the first famous representative of the glorious Dzyalinsky family, to whom Kornik (Kurnik) himself and the inhabitants of the surrounding area are grateful for many things. Teofila abolished serfdom in her possessions, built roads and mills at her own expense. But there were always rumors around her. Teofila's first husband died shortly after the wedding. She divorced the second. Rumors mainly concerned her many novels. Since Teofila suffered from constant migraines, she loved to walk in the park near the castle walls. After Teofila ordered the demolition of a small hunting lodge on Lake Kornitskoye, she began to be haunted by painful nightmares and visions. It was said that she was cursed by dark demons who guarded the treasures hidden within the walls of this house. Shortly after these events, Teofila died,and her ghost settled in the portrait.
Kornitsky castle - Teofila's estate.
The first stories about the White Lady date back to the 19th century. Eyewitnesses claim that the spirit of Teofila, as before, walks through the park, but not alone. Together with him they saw a mysterious knight on a white horse, who with trepidation and love supports the White Lady by the arm during these night walks. Kornitsky ghosts are not dangerous for people, but if they notice prying eyes, they immediately go to the dark nooks of the park.
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White Lady of Nijin Castle
The exotic White Lady also appears in the courtyard of the medieval fortress in Nidzica - always in the form of a small whirlwind. Rumor has it that this is the spirit of the half-Indian Umina. Umina was the daughter of the Hungarian prince Sebastian Berzevitsa, who traveled to Peru, married the daughter of an Indian leader and, years later, returned to his homeland, taking along with his daughter a part of the famous Inca treasure. The proud prince fell into real despair when his only beautiful daughter decided to marry a simple artisan.
The ghost of Umina lives in Nidzica Castle.
Umina left her father, settled in her husband's hut and bore him a son. The prince could not bear this and ordered to kill the whole family, with the exception of the child. Umina and her husband were killed on the threshold of the Nedzin chapel, and the fate of their offspring remained a mystery. The ghost of Umina, dressed in white funeral clothes, bursts into the castle courtyard with a whirlwind and frightens curious tourists with curses and lamentations. The mystery of this story is confirmed by the fact that on the territory of Nidzica during the years of World War II, a pile of Incas was found, in which, allegedly, information about hidden treasures was found.
White lady from Grodno
The White Lady is a character in many Polish legends, appearing in no less than fifteen castles of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. This fate was not spared by the Grodno castle, located in the northern part of Sovih Gur. The local White Lady walks along the walls of the castle at night and each time throws herself into the abyss. Rumor has it that this is the spirit of Malgorzata - the daughter of the castle castellan.
The castle in Grodno is the habitat of the White Lady.
The girl fell in love with one of the servants, but her father did not even want to hear about such a marriage and promised to give her in marriage to the old baron. Malgorzata agreed, but she harbored a grudge against her father and the baron. One day, she persuaded her husband to walk along the walls surrounding the castle.
The prison and the grave of the unfortunate Malgorzata.
When the married couple climbed to the very top, Malgorzata pushed the baron into the abyss. This tragic scene was witnessed by the castellan, who ordered his own daughter to be immured alive in the dungeons. Since then, the ghost of the unfortunate Malgorzata wanders around the castle, frightening visitors.
Yellow Lady with Livier
Not only white ladies live in Polish castles. There is also a yellow one. Ludwig Shuiskaya-Kuchinskaya, dressed in a yellow dress, whose portrait flaunts in the museum of the Livsky castle, wanders through the rooms, showing everyone his clean hands. And all - because of a tragic mistake that occurred several hundred years ago.
Portrait of Ludwiga Shuyskaya-Kuchmnskaya.
Ludwig was the wife of the castle castellan, a generous man, but unusually jealous. Once, a castellan gave his wife a precious diamond ring. It soon became clear that the ring had been lost. The jealous husband decided that Ludwig gave the ring to her lover and, in a rage, ordered to behead the traitor, and the ring… the pestle was found some time later in the magpie's nest. Castellan, distraught with grief, threw himself into the abyss, and the Yellow Lady wanders through the chambers in search of justice.
The castle in Livye is the home of the Yellow Lady.
White Lady from Neborov
The collection of Polish white ladies also includes Anna Ozelska - the illegitimate daughter of King Augustus II the Strong, whose legendary beauty is immortalized in a portrait hanging in the Red Salon of the Neborowski Palace.
Portrait of Anna Ozhelskaya.
It is not known what exactly brought the ghost of Anna Ozhelskaya to the palace, but he has a reputation for being a friendly and economical ghost who watches over affairs in the palace. During her lifetime, Anna was considered a brawler and provocateur. Perhaps there is some mysterious story that we do not know about. It is possible that she is associated with the origin of this noble beauty. However, the non-Borovian White Lady roams the neighborhood at night, accompanied by a dog.
Neborovsky Palace.
These tragic stories leave no one indifferent. The ghosts themselves have become a real attraction for tourists. They even installed special warning signs near the castles where they live. But, perhaps, after a meeting with one of the white ladies of Polish castles, some foreigner will take pity on a lost soul and light a candle in the local chapel for the repose of the once shining beauty, by the will of fate turned into a ghost.